Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1575937.015 - Encore Glass, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

At 8:30 a.m. on October 26, 2021, an employee was assisting two coworkers, Coworker #1 and #2, at a glass container manufacturer who were working on an old tractor at the back of the building. The employee and the coworkers discussed how to release the pressure on the hydraulic brake at the right rear of the truck so they could move the vehicle. The employee and the two coworkers did not have specific experience with the old tractor, as it had been sitting in its location for at least 1.5 years. Coworker #1 said there should be a T-bar to insert into the brake cap to release the pressure, but that there was nothing available. The employee used a wrench to start removing the band screw on the brake cap. Coworker #1 and #2 observed the brake cover fly off unexpectedly, striking the employee in the jaw and knocking him to the ground. The brake cap had covered a steel spring with 400 pounds of tension, which likely relieved due to the employee loosening the band screw. The employee sustained a fractured jaw and laceration to his right thumb, and was treated at the hospital and released the same day. The employee did require surgery a week later which required hospitalization for two nights. Although the employer required that all work must be authorized by a work order before it can be performed, no work order was written for the tractor.

Keywords: Brake, Fracture, Hydraulic Equipment, Jaw, Laceration, Lack of Work Procedures, Maintenance, Struck By, Tension, Thumb, Tractor, Unauthorized, Wrench